Shape people with a monster madness mix.
Yep. My toddler is 100% here for this activity. These shape people are hard to resist and also have a little counting activity twist.
Put this toddler math activity on repeat. It’s a good one!
RELATED: Simple setups like this need to be at your fingertips. Try our activity cards!
Teach your toddler shapes through play.
When I teach my toddlers shapes, I try to incorporate a variety of learning styles.
- Include movement
- Allow your toddler to touch the shapes
- Begin to talk about sides
- Discuss corners (vertices)
- Go outside to find shapes in the environment
- Look at objects within the home
- Invite your toddler to go on a shape hunt
RELATED: Have you seen our list of 40 Indoor Games? They are terrific!
I love combining multiple math skills into one easy activity.
My three-year-old can count; however, he works on matching a number symbol to the correct number amount.
I knew that adding shape people into his number practice would be a home run. These shape people are inviting to look at and help my toddler learn math hands-on. This means that he is actively working for his hands as he thinks rather than counting numbers on a worksheet. He and I are also talking together about the different shapes and total amounts.
Simple math activities such as this give us plenty to chat about as he learns through play and sip my hot tea.
RELATED: I like to call these morning activities Breakfast invitations.
Let’s get to it!
Supplies
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- White paper roll
- Markers – I LOVE this 40 pack
- Dot stickers
First, tape down the white paper roll and add simple shape figures.
Here, we included a triangle, oval, rectangle, square, and rhombus. I want to remember that teachers will refer to the diamond as a rhombus in school, so using this language will help him down the road. We can include these shapes in other activities such as shape activities, Mystery Shapes, and Craft Stick Shape Match.
Next, I added facial expressions. I keep the shapes happy, but you can also mix in different emotions.
The final step is drawing black dots in the middle of the dot stickers to make eyes.
When the shape people are finished, I place the dot stickers to the left of the paper and invite my toddler to begin. These dots stickers are a powerful way to strengthen fine motor strength in small hands.
This simple math activity is a lot like its twin, Monster Googly Eye Count-Up.
Sometimes when the boys are finished, they add coloring to the activity. Other times, they jump right out of their seat and play.
The idea is to plant the seed of important concepts to come.
This simple math activity worked on important math skills.
- 2D shapes
- Counting
- Number symbols
- Number names
- Quantity (number amounts)
When will you play this shape people counting activity?
